Limited Free Will

We were chosen for salvation through faith in the truth.
Nouns are not verbs.
Just read 2 Thessalonians 2:13 folks.
If our faith merited or earned salvation, that would be works based. But if our faith is worthless, yet God takes that worthless faith and declares it righteousness, then saves us by grace, it is not of works.
Salvation is a gift of God, received through faith. Ephesians 2:8.

 

I agree, all of the translations that read "to be saved" instead of "for salvation" are altering the text to conform to man-made doctrine.

 

Nonsense

 

Please address what I said, "altering the text" rather than deflection. Verbs are not nouns.

 

Why not ask how a change from a noun to a verb alters the text. Answer: verbs are not nouns.

 

To repeat, and I am typing slowly, I said the change from the noun (salvation) to the verb (saved) altered the text. Why are you dodging this fact? Why are you so scared to admitting this fact. You are wasting electrons addressing off topic issues.
2 Thessalonians 2:13 teaches we were chosen for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. Therefore we had faith before we were elected for salvation individually. And we had the limited free will needed to put our faith in Christ.

 

Hi David, you keep changing the subject. Does changing the noun to a verb alter the text? Yes. What is the man-made doctrine? Unconditional Election is blown out of the water by 2 Thessalonians 2:13. Therefore people like you attempt to "alter the text" to rewrite scripture to avoid the truth of conditional election.

 

Unconditional Election is blown out of the water by 2 Thessalonians 2:13. Therefore people attempt to "alter the text" to rewrite scripture to avoid the truth of conditional election.

 

Unconditional Election is blown out of the water by 2 Thessalonians 2:13. Therefore people attempt to "alter the text" to rewrite scripture to avoid the truth of conditional election.

 

1) Why did Jesus speak in parables in Matthew 13, if the lost could not hear and understand the milk of the gospel?

Answer Matthew 13 "10 And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” 11 ]Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. 12 For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

Jesus spoke in parables without providing an explanation to prevent them from seeing, hearing and understanding. Thus they had some spiritual ability that had to be countered by using parables.

2) Why did God harden the hearts of the disbelieving Jews in Romans 11, if they were already unable to respond to the gospel.

Answer Romans 11 "
7 What then? What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened;
8 just as it is written,
“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
Eyes to see not and ears to hear not,
Down to this very day.”

9 And David says,
“Let their table become a snare and a trap,
And a stumbling block and a retribution to them.
10 “Let their eyes be darkened to see not,
And bend their backs forever.”

Scripture says God prevented the unbelieving Jews from seeing, hearing and understanding, which means they had that capacity before God hardened them.

Again, IMHO, it is obvious that Jesus spoke in parables and God hardened hearts to prevent the lost from using their limited free will to respond to the gospel.

 

Romans 9:16 clearly teaches fallen people can choose to will and to work to be saved.

Matthew 23:13 clearly teaches fallen people were seeking God, they were in the process of entering the kingdom.

James 2:5 teaches God chose those that love God.

Fallen people can not understand the spiritual solid food of the Spirit. But they can respond and grow on the milk of the gospel. 1 Corinthians 3:1